FISHING INDUSTRY.

Northern Advocate, 26 July 1923, Page 6

FISHING INDUSTRY.

NEW ZEALAND'S OPPORTUNITIES

"The man in the Street.," said *,hc Hon. G. M. Thomson, in the course of an interesting address on "Fisheries of New Zealand," at the Rotary Club dinner, at Wellington, "knows next to nothing of the lives of fish, their his: tory, and how they breed, from whence they come Or whither they go." It was a study, said the in which one dealt with the 'largest down to the most minute of living things; from huge sperm whales down to orgaanisrns so minute as to require the aid. of a powerful miscroscopc to s<>c them.

In New Zealand waters, said Mr Thomson, there were 200 specimens of fish, of which about 80 were edible. New Zealand, relatively to other countries, such as South America,- Africa and Australia, had an enormous coastline —about 5000 miles—compared to its area, but its fishing areas wors much smaller than those surrounding the Biitish Isles, the first, fish nation in the world, or Japan, which 'was pecond. Trawling was limited by tin depth of -water, and there were few areas around the coast of l->ss than I (JO fathoms depth. New Zealand trawls were of no use much below 40 or 50 fathoms. Round ihe British Isles on tii? other hand, and near to Japan, were large areas of shallow water where gpod trawling could be indulged in. He thought that New Zealand would have to go in for the drift system of trawling, of which, up to the present it had done nothing.

Conditions, continued the lectur?r, were quite different hero from those pertaining to the iiortlx'ni hemisphere, Although there was a far less area in which to fish, h<; (irmly believed th it New Zealand would .become the great •fishing centre of the southern hemisphere. There was no reason why fishing should not bo one of the most important primary industries of this country. There was an enormous

wealth in the seas around its shores. It would have to be done by private ontciprise, not by the Govcmmoi.t. The Government could help by devot-

ing time, money and men for the purpose of accumulating knowledge, :ind to induce a maritime and fishing population to settle round our coasts. England, with a population of 47,000,000 people, produced over a million tons of fish annually, valued at £29,000,000; New Zealand, with a population of 1,200,000/ people, produced about 12,000, tons, valued at £35;j,000. The fishing, industry of Japan was worth £21,000,000 to her each year.